You Let Your Guard Down
by Silvernight22
Summary: Sometimes, when we let our guard down, we discover the most unlikely of things. When Miyuki was sent on an urgent mission, she never expected she'd come face to face with him. He was the man who plagued her every thought. The man she'd never forgive. Then why did it all feel so wrong? How was she supposed to fight a battle knowing that her opponent was once her lover? (Itachi x OC)
1. Prologue - The Massacre

Blood.

The red, sticky material surrounded a girl about the age of twelve. Her long, auburn hair, now tainted with the crimson substance, smelled strongly of iron.

'Dead' was the only comprehensible word that ran through the child's head as she stared at the familiar bodies of her caregivers.

In the midst of it all was a boy no older than fourteen. The blood stained katana he held proved that this was his doing.

"Itachi, why?" the twelve-year-old asked, confusion evident in her voice.

The raven-haired murderer just stood there, letting silence answer her question. His cold, emotionless eyes penetrated her wide, hazel orbs.

The sudden sound of running feet made them both turn towards the oncoming survivor. A young boy around the age of eight came, tripping and panting, into view. His face was covered in a mix of tears and dirt. As for his dark-colored hair with midnight blue highlights, it was stained with blood.

He approached the two figures but stopped short when he acknowledged the presence of the older boy holding the bloodied weapon. The expression on the young boy's face quickly turned from one of puzzlement to horror as realization dawned on him.

"Big brother!" the eight-year-old cried fearfully, "You couldn't have!"

Refusing to accept the fact that his brother killed their family, the young boy hastily approached the murderer known as Itachi.

Big mistake.

In the fraction of a second the little brother found himself face to face with the long blood covered katana. Eyes wide as saucers, the boy with blue highlights could do nothing but stare at the weapon.

Terror was written across his face.

"Sasuke, get back!" the auburn haired girl shouted, demandingly.

The little brother obeyed and hurriedly backed away from the scene, though making sure he stayed within earshot of their conversation.

"Itachi, why? Just, why?" the twelve-year-old asked once more, exasperation clearly evident in her voice.

Again, the older Uchiha stayed silent.

"God damn it, say something!" the girl yelled with fury.

Itachi's expression stayed impassive. It was impossible to tell whether he was going to answer or not.

Finally the raven-haired boy decided to speak.

"I was merely testing my skills," he said calmly then gestured to the bodies on the ground. "They didn't put up much of a fight," he paused then looked towards the remaining survivors.

"Maybe you two will turn out to be more amusing."

A sharp gasp of fear emitted from the younger brother's lips after these words were spoken.

"No, I don't want to die!" cried the little boy as he ran to the older girl.

Instinctively, she put a protective arm around him and pulled him close.

"Miyuki, please tell me I'm dreaming! Please!" Sasuke begged as the tears rolled down his face.

The girl, known as Miyuki, looked down at the younger Uchiha and gave a small but sad smile. Sasuke looked despairingly at the scene around him then collapsed on to the cold, hard ground, crying uncontrollably.

The auburn-haired girl quickly knelt down beside the weeping boy and attempted to comfort him.

The emotionless murderer gave a grunt of disgust.

"Foolish little brother, your hate's not strong enough…you're not strong enough! That's right cling to your worthless life, live in shame, and when you're stronger, I'll come find you." Itachi said cold-heartedly.

That was the last straw.

"Shut up!" Miyuki yelled as she snapped her head up to face the murderer.

Itachi turned sharply at the sudden outburst and glared at the girl's insolent behavior.

"I can't believe you Itachi," Miyuki continued. "You've forgotten everything, haven't you!"

It was a statement, not a question.

A gusty breeze blew past the two as the auburn-haired girl recalled what the Uchiha taught her.

_'Violence is used only when necessary. Never use what you've learned if you think you're using them for the wrong reasons.'_

His words rang clear as day in the young girl's ears. It was as if the wind itself had spoken it.

"You told me never to use your powers for the wrong reasons," Miyuki cried angrily. "So are you telling me that this was the right reason?"

"This wasn't about reasons," Itachi said calmly, "This was something I chose to do."

"Itachi, I'll never forgive you!" Miyuki yelled venomously as the Uchiha disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Unbeknownst to the two, that promise would very soon be shattered.


	2. Memories: The First Lesson

"Itachi!" Fugaku Uchiha called as he entered the kitchen of the Uchiha's main residence.

A nine-year-old Itachi, who was currently leaning against the sink talking to an eight-year-old Miyuki, turned swiftly towards his father's voice.

"Yes father?" the raven-haired boy inquired.

Miyuki, who was currently washing the dishes, also turned to address the head of the Uchiha clan.

"You should get training, there're lots to be done these days." Fugaku commanded.

"Yes father." Itachi replied then gave Miyuki the see-you-later look and exited the kitchen.

"Miyuki," Fugaku continued, "After you're done with the dishes, go help Mikoto with the laundry."

"Yes sir!" Miyuki answered swiftly, turning back to the sink to rinse off another white porcelain plate.

It was around early afternoon when the auburn-haired girl finally walked out of the house. The sun's warm and inviting rays danced on her face as she scanned the yard for Itachi's mother.

Spotting the black-haired woman by a nearby tree, Miyuki rapidly made towards her.

"Here, let me help." the small girl offered and immediately retrieved a black t-shirt from the straw-woven basket.

As they hung clothing after clothing on the white line, Miyuki began wondering what Itachi was up to.

Her deep-in-thought expression must've shown on her face, for Mikoto suddenly asked, "What's on your mind?"

Startled by the question, Miyuki stuttered, "Huh? Oh! Um, sorry!" then sheepishly said, "I was just wondering what Itachi was doing."

Not wanting Mikoto to think the wrong way Miyuki quickly added, "I mean, he seems to be training day and night and well, I was just wondering if I could be as good as him."

Mikoto laughed gently at the girl's embarrassment and said, "Why don't you go see for yourself?"

"Oh, I couldn't, I'm supposed to be helping you with the laundry!" Miyuki said hurriedly.

"Go on! He should be in the woods around back. Besides, we're almost done here anyways." Mikoto argued.

Miyuki glanced at the nearly finished laundry basket then turned to Itachi's mom who gave an approving smile. Finally she gave in, and decided to go, thanking Mikoto as she left.

After entering the woods, the young girl wandered around for a bit before she finally found Itachi sitting on a large rock, looking very bored.

"I thought you were training." Miyuki said as she climbed onto the boulder and sat down beside him.

Itachi, who was currently playing with a kunai knife, swinging it back and forth, glanced over at the girl who had just arrived.

"I _was._" Itachi said simply as he stopped playing with his weapon and threw it at a nearby tree with a target board mounted on it.

As expected it hit the center mark, spot on.

Miyuki looked closely at each tree and realized that the Uchiha had been training for a while. Every target had a kunai knife sticking out their yellow center.

The 2 children sat on the rock enjoying the comforting silence and the company of one another.

"It must be hard being the 'Pride of the Uchiha'." The girl said suddenly.

Itachi who seemed alarmed by the queer question asked, "Why would you say that?"

"Well I mean you're always doing everything around here that needs to be done. Sometimes I wonder if you even have time for yourself." Miyuki replied simply.

Itachi thought for a minute and said, "Well, what about you?"

Miyuki looked at the Uchiha, confusion written across her face.

"You're always doing the dirty work around here. You don't have time either." The prodigy elaborated.

The eight-year-old pondered over Itachi's statement then said, "True, but at least you're doing something useful. I'd give anything to be a ninja."

"Why's that?" Itachi asked quizzically.

Miyuki grinned and jumped off the rock she was currently sitting on.

"I don't want to witness anymore deaths!" Miyuki exclaimed, then solemnly added, "I've already lost my entire clan during the 3rd great ninja War. I don't want to lose anyone else. So, if I become a shinobi, not only will I be able to protect the people I love, but I'll be able to protect this whole village."

Itachi looked astonished by Miyuki's sudden statement. He thought for a long moment then gave a sly smile.

"Ok then, show me what you've got." The prodigy declared.

Miyuki stared at the Uchiha, completely dumfounded.

"You're going to have to do _way_ better than that." Itachi joked.

"You'll teach me?" Miyuki asked disbelievingly.

"Sure, why not?" Itachi said then added sternly, "But remember, everything that you learn is used only when necessary. Never use them if you think you're using it for the wrong reasons."

"But remember, violence is used only when necessary. Never use what you've learned if you think you're using them for the wrong reasons."

Grinning, the auburn-haired girl waved two fingers beside her head in a salute.

"Copy that! When do we start?"


	3. 5 Years

_A ten-year-old boy is sitting on a hillside with a nine-year-old girl. Although they were soaked, their laughter could be heard from afar. Everything seemed perfect: the sweet smell of summer grass, the fire-red sky, the warm yellowish glow of the sun, and the sound of the cool stream flowing just below the 2 children. The only things that were out of focus were their faces. For some strange reason, they were blurred, or rather hazy. It was as if they did not wish to be seen…or remembered…_

"Miyuki! Wake up! Hey!"

Miyuki woke up with a start, lost her balance, and fell off the tree branch she was resting on.

"Ow! Kakashi! What was that for?" Miyuki asked the silver haired man who, so rudely, interrupted her pleasant nap.

"Huh?" the silver haired jounin, known as Kakashi, played dumb.

"Don't give me that crap!" Miyuki scowled, "I know it was you!"

"Oh," Kakashi said slowly, knowing there was no fooling the auburn haired girl, he admitted, "Well, uh, you were slacking off, so I had to do something about it," then added thoughtfully, "consider it a wake up call."

Miyuki growled in annoyance. The seventeen-year-old was supposed to help Kakashi train his team.

"Ok, well what exactly are they doing?" Miyuki asked bitterly, gesturing to the 3 genins standing nearby.

Kakashi chuckled guiltily and said, "Ha! Funny, I haven't really thought of that yet."

"WHAT!" Sakura, a pink haired kunoichi, and Naruto, a yellow haired knucklehead ninja, yelled in unison. Miyuki sighed and as usual, Sasuke, now thirteen, stayed silent.

'He's becoming more like his brother.' Miyuki thought then grimaced at the thought of that murderous traitor.

Five long years had passed and she still couldn't get him out of her head!

Every time she thought about him, her heart skipped a beat, her stomach does somersaults and to top it all off, her palms get all sweaty. There was no way that she could be in love with him though, that was just wrong. Besides, she told him she'd never forgive him. Love, was something Miyuki just couldn't understand. But one thing was for certain. She was most, definitely not in love with Itachi Uchiha… right?

"Hey Miyuki, you're here to help me right? So why don't you think of something." Kakashi said abruptly, breaking her train of thoughts.

"Uh, alright then, why don't we work on―" Miyuki started but was soon interrupted by a dark haired woman running towards the group.

"Miyuki! Lady Tsunade wishes to see you!" the fifth hokage's assistant, Shizune, informed urgently.

"Oh alright, I'll be right there." Miyuki replied irritated by the endless amount of jobs she seemed to have acquired over the span of three minutes.

"Hey! What about our training?" Naruto yelled impatiently.

Miyuki thought for a while then said, "Okay! I got it," she motioned for the three genins to huddle up, "Ok here's your training –" Miyuki trailed off searching for an appropriate word then added, "mission."

"Our training-mission?" Sakura asked confused.

"Yup, it's training but it's considered a mission too. Well that is if you're willing to accomplish it." Miyuki replied deviously.

Her trap was in place.

"Oh, ok! So what's our training-mission?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Ready?" Miyuki asked as all three leaned in closer, "Your training-mission is to… Unmask Kakashi!"

"Unmask Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked slightly puzzled.

"Yeah, aren't you curious to know what's behind that mask?" Miyuki questioned.

"Come to think of it, sort of…" Naruto trailed off as the thought began to sink in.

"Alright then, it's settled. That's your training-mission!" Miyuki confirmed.

"Hn," Sauske grumbled, "That's stupid."

The seventeen-year-old glanced over at the young Uchiha. Somehow she knew he'd say that, and she was ready for it.

"Oh, really?" Miyuki countered, "So, you're saying if Kakashi had lips the size of a blimp under that mask, you wouldn't care?"

The bait.

Sasuke stayed silent and Miyuki knew she struck a nerve.

"What if he has buck teeth?" Naruto added catching on to the clever girl's cunning plan.

The persuasion.

The dark-haired boy held his ground for a few seconds before giving in.

"Oh alright, I'll do it! But only because it's a mission." Sasuke said reluctantly.

Bingo. Operation: Convince Sasuke, complete.

Miyuki grinned and ruffled the familiar dark colored hair with blue highlights.

Sasuke glowered, but in his eyes, Miyuki saw that he too was remembering the days when she used to do that all the time.

"Miyuki! We have to go!" Shizune yelled insistently.

"Ok! Ok!" Miyuki said aggravated, and left with the older lady.


	4. An Urgent Mission

"Miyuki, I have received a vital message from the Village hidden in the Sand." Lady Tsunade stated as Miyuki stood in front of her desk that was currently cluttered with scrolls and mountains of documents, "As you are aware, the Kazekage was killed not too long ago and the Sand village is quite unstable," Miyuki gave a small nod to show that she was following the situation at hand, "It was during this time that a very important file was stolen: A file containing secrets of the five great nations."

Knowing all too well where this was headed Miyuki sighed and said, "And I suppose you want me to get this document back."

"Correct." Lady Tsunade replied.

The auburn-haired girl groaned at the thought of another mission.

"Why can't you get Kakashi or Asuma to do it?" Miyuki ask childishly.

"Because firstly, they have missions of their own, and secondly, this is classified as an S-ranked mission." Lady Tsunade said firmly.

This got the young lady's attention.

"S-ranked? Why?" Miyuki questioned curiously.

"The people who took the file aren't ordinary Ninja." The fifth hokage explained, "That file had 12 ANBUs guarding it, along with numerous deadly traps. In the end, all the traps were sprung and no one guarding the file was left alive."

The female ninja contemplated this new piece of information.

"Oh, now I see how you want me to go." Miyuki said then asked disbelievingly, "But12 ANBUs and none of them survived?"

"Hard to believe, but true," Lady Tsunade confirmed, "You work only part time as an ANBU because you already get all the more dangerous and difficult regular missions. Also, I've seen what you've been able to do and I've concluded that you're the only one who's capable of accomplishing this task. So, I'm afraid you're going to have to do it. It's not up for discussion." The blond woman crossed her arms to show that her decision was final.

Miyuki sighed dejectedly knowing she couldn't talk her way out of this one.

"Alright I'm on it!" The young ANBU accepted the mission and was gone in a flash.

* * *

'Ugh! I hate wearing this mask!' Miyuki thought as she jumped from tree to tree, searching for any evidence the enemy might have left behind.

"Who am I kidding? They're S-ranked criminals, why would they leave any evidence?" the ANBU asked no one in particular.

'The Sand ninja's told me they went this way, two figures wearing a black cloak. The authorities dispatched a group of jounins to follow them about an hour ago…' Miyuki thought, and then looked around the vast, green forest, which was located about 5 km away from the Sand village.

The fifteen-year-old growled in frustration as she stared at the empty woodland then yelled, "…But they could've gone anywhere!"

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, she stopped and began to think, 'Wouldn't the enemies fight back if a group of jounins were following them? And if their opponents were strong enough to take down 12 ANBUs then dealing with jounins would be a piece of cake. Meaning…'

"They'll be blood shed." Miyuki said then cringed as a picture of Itachi flashed across her mind.

'Why was it that everything has to be tied back to Itachi? Why can't I just forget about him?" Miyuki scowled in annoyance.

"Alright! Let's do this," the ANBU said, pushing the flood of thoughts on Itachi away, "Summoning Jutsu!"

On cue, a fairly large, white wolf appeared out of the sand and dust that Miyuki had just created.

"Hello Miyuki, long time no see." The wolf greeted politely.

"Hey Akira, listen, I need you to―" Miyuki began but was interrupted by Akira's low growling.

"Ugh! What is that awful stench? It smells like…blood. And lots of it too." the white wolf rumbled as the course fur on her back stood up.

"Great! I was hoping you would." Miyuki said proud that her strategy had worked.

"And remind me again, what part of people dying is 'great'" the canine asked sarcastically.

"The part where they create more space for even better people in the world. Besides, life is just one damned thing after another." Miyuki joked.

The elegant wolf sighed and muttered, "Jeez, why can't you ever answer with something more common?"

"Yeah, like what?" the ANBU inquired.

"Like how there's nothing great about death." Akira answered simply.

"Don't be so pessimistic." Miyuki countered.

The wolf scoffed and said incredulously, "You think _I'm_ being pessimistic? I'm not the one who said that 'Life is just one damned thing after another'."

Miyuki laughed at how serious the canine was. "Alright Akira, whatever you say. Now, can we please get back on track?"

"Right, so I'm guessing you want me to take you to the place of the massacre?" Akira asked edgily.

"That's right! I'll explain what happened along the way." Miyuki said, happy that they were finally getting somewhere.


	5. You Again

"God, Miyuki, you're always so slow!" Akira scolded after Miyuki notified her of the current circumstances

"Huh? What do you mean? We're going at the same pace." Miyuki responded naïvely.

"Oh never mind!" Akira replied agitated.

The snow-white wolf sighed at how clueless the ANBU was. How could someone so stubborn be so dense?

After traveling silently for about ten minutes, the large canine spoke up.

"They're about two kilometers away. It seems like they're in the midst of fighting," Akira's ears twitched forward, straining to catch any sound there was, "There's also a running stream of water." The wolf reported.

"Perfect," Miyuki exclaimed, "The stream will make it easier for me to use my water techniques."

"Yeah," Akira agreed, "And I'll be able to wash up after the battle."

The masked girl chuckled at how sanitary the white wolf was.

"All right then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Miyuki said eagerly as she continued with renewed determination towards her target.

Once the auburn haired girl heard the sound of running water, they moved into the bushes, concealing their chakra.

Miyuki peered through the thick branches and emitted a strange noise that sounded a lot like a gasp of horror and surprise.

Standing about a foot away from the river were two figures wearing the infamous black cloak decorated with numerous red clouds – The Akatsuki.

One of which was a blue skinned man carrying a giant sword. Miyuki guessed him to be Kisame Hoshigaki of the seven ninja swords men of the mist.

However, that was not who the masked girl was interested in.

There, standing about 3 meters to the right of him was none other than Itachi Uchiha.

Miyuki felt a sudden rush of anger that she couldn't control. The years of concealing her hatred for the murderer came rushing back. It was like seeing the Uchiha was the key to unlocking the door that was sealed shut the night Itachi disappeared after killing his clan. Rage spread through her like wild fire. There was only one clear thought as her blood boiled to a dangerous extent:  
'Itachi Uchiha will not be forgiven'

Akira, who had undoubtedly sensed her sudden buildup of chakra, knew exactly what the ANBU was going to do.

The auburn haired girl launched herself at the man with red eyes just as Akira screamed, "Don't do it!"

But, of course, it was too late.

Itachi, who had already sensed Miyuki's chakra, pinned her down effortlessly and gave his partner a meaningful look.

The two must've had a strategy for Kisame swiftly turned to leave the scene of battle.

Miyuki, with some difficulty, managed to shove Itachi off, just as Akira jumped out of the bushes and attacked Kisame.

The two teams were evenly matched.

Whether this was due to the fact that both S-ranked criminals were weary from taking down 12 ANBU members, or the fact that Miyuki and her partner had gotten stronger, was undetermined.

Regardless, it was clear that this was going to be one long battle.

In the midst of the fight, Kisame took off with Akira hot on his heels. The blue skinned man knew that they wouldn't be getting anywhere if they continued the fight. So, he decided to test his agility against the wolf. If he could out run the canine, then their mission would be complete.

Meanwhile, Miyuki and Itachi were in a dead lock. The dark haired man threw multiple kunais at the masked girl while she skillfully dodged them all. Miyuki tried a few jutsus but none of them seemed to work thanks to Itachi's sharingan.

After a couple of hours, Miyuki was tired out.

She really didn't want to fight the Uchiha but she felt obliged to. Her feelings towards him were clearly full of hate so then why did it feel so _wrong_?

As these thoughts passed through Miyuki's head she became more distressed. Her concentration was disrupted and her movements grew sluggish. Itachi saw that the ANBU had let her guard down and took the opportunity to aim a kunai directly at the masked girl's head.

Miyuki only had an instant to recover and veered away from the approaching weapon. However, her reaction time was slow and the kunai sliced through the string that held her mask in place, taking a few strands of her hair in its assault.

The white mask fell to the ground and Miyuki's identity was revealed.

If Itachi was surprised he didn't show it. There was a moment of complete silence that made the gentle stream of water feel embarrassed for roaring so loudly.

The Uchiha was the first to speak, "It's been a while, Miyuki."

His voice seemed to flow in perfect harmony with the melody of the breezy wind. It was like music to Miyuki's ears. Emotions have not once betrayed this man and it was frustrating for the unmasked ANBU to not know what went through his head at this precise moment.

So at a lost for words, she decided to play the unmoving damsel and said stubbornly, "Not long enough."

The lie tasted bitter in her mouth. If it were true, then she wouldn't have felt like it had been a thousand years since their last meeting.

Now that her identity was revealed Miyuki had no idea what to do. Heck, she didn't even know that she was going to meet Itachi today, and quite honestly it may have been a lot better that way.

Even if she spent forever telling herself that she didn't want to see that murderous traitor ever again, it wouldn't change anything. Something inside her knew that that wasn't true and this encounter proved it.

The ANBU was speechless and that rarely ever happened. As the silence dragged on, the stream of water began to sound unnervingly familiar. Miyuki struggled to stay focused but failed as a long forgotten memory swam into her line of thoughts. The stream of water roared ever so loudly – ever so insistently – in her ears.


End file.
